13 8 September 2013 hosp;taHtydes;Qn.com
Crafting a Miami hotel
around an irreverent
character
By ALIA AKKAM
Photography by MORIS MORENO
1. Formerly the Wave,
the Lord Balfour hotel
breathes new life into an
Art Deco building.
2. Cheeky, oversized
artwork in guestrooms
reference Lord Balfour's
mistress.
hospitalitydesiQn.com September 2013
13 9
It was called the Wave, but hanging
over the entry of this oceanfront Miami
hotel was an old A rt Deco s ign, flickering
intermittently to light up the mysterious
n a m e Lord Balfour. When it cam e tim e
to rechristen th is tired property. Malcolm
Berg. founder a nd principal of Coral Gables,
F lorida-based EoA, looked to the enigmatic
lord for inspiration. Eventua lly it became the
h otel's new name.
''A little research u nearthed a gentleman
of remarkable depth a nd reach, not shy to
speak h is mind and to do so with progressive
wit. It was important to us, h owever, to
ensure that the property not become a
n1useu1n to Lord Balfour, but rather a
tastefully cheeky homage to a great man. We
wanted it to feel lordly but fun , elegant but
unpretentious," Berg says.
Delving into Lord Balfour 's past, Berg
and his team imagin ed a modern-day
version of the charismatic, u nconventional
14 0 September 2013 hospitalitydesion.com
British statesman. Historic elements were
maintained, but layered with a "gritty
char1n .., that 1neshes ·w ith So uth Beach's
sensuous personality . I n this evocative
drama, Berg and his team made the lord ·s
mistress a centerpiece. "She's the symbol of
internal conflict- of public versus private,
propriety versus indecency, of repression
versus unco1npro1nised expression,"
he notes.
Because Lo rd Balfou r was a prominent
writer, the lobby has a decidedly literary air.
'"Since the fro n t desk became the bar, we
felt the need to draw guests' attention to the
new reception d esk at the end of the main
roo1n. To th at end ·we created a processio nal
ceiling featu re. which e m ulates an unfoldin g
script, unraveling in accordion-like baffles,
each backlit metal panel hovering overhead
a n d etched w ith his writings," Berg explains.
These tid bits of text include, "A good speech,
lik e a woman's skirt, should be lon g enough
3. In the lobby.
accordion-li ke baffles
o f backlit metal etched
with Lord Balfour's
sayings cloak the
ceiling.
5. The airy Lo rd Balfour
sui te, compl ete with a
bamboo floor, leathe r
couch, and provocative
artwork.
6. Dining takes p lace in
4. Guests can find soap
in the butler's hands
p layfu ll y protruding
the company of a steel
bustier photograph.
from the shower.
Lord Balfour
6
Miami
Mirror
Owner
Cometsa, a joint venture
between Green Comet II
and Etsa
Bramson House
Desk
Management Company
Trust Hospitality
DBCMillwork
Architecture and Interior Design
Firm
EoA, Coral Gables, Florida
Chair
Charter Furniture
Pillow Fabrication
American Upholstery
Architecture Project Team
Malcolm Berg and Viviane
Savornin
Interior Design Project Team
LOBBY
Carpet
Malcolm Berg and Leslie
Schultz
Crossley Axminster
Custom Carpets
Sofa
Purchasing Firm
Merchandising Associates
Upholstery
to cover the subject and s hort enoug h to create interest." Richly
hued a n d textured m aterials play an i ntegral part of Berg' s design
narrative. A carpet runner. for exam ple . bears images of colorful
flowers . "patterns directly extracted" from the mistress naked
s h oulder. while the backbar is cloaked in fabric reminiscent of a
lord's coat.
S trewn throughout the prop erty is a r twork, riddled with saucy
r eferen ces to class an d propriety. Consider the overs ized, peekaboo
images of Lord Balfou r's m istress taunting in g u estrooms. or
provocative nods to wire undergarments a nd forged stee l bus tiers. To
exemplify vanity, a b utler's hands holdin g antique silver m irrors pop
up in the bar a nd reappear in the showers, protruding from the wall
with raised palms holding soap.
Capturing Lord Balfour's complexity a nd self-indulgen ce-
Foundation Art
Drapes
LCE Interiors
Chairs
Green Hides, Valley Forge
Fabrics, Magilite, Brentano,
and Casamance
Brand Standards
Furnishings
Dining Chairs and Stools
Beaufurn
GUESTROOM
Hide Chair
Hand Sculptures
Harry Allen
Lee Industries
Silver Mirrors
Sourced by Merchandising
Associates
Wallcovering
Expose Yourself
Marble Table
Headboard and Bench
F&R Interiors
Global Views
Ceiling Sculpture
Side Table
Phillips Collection
C&R Metals
lighting
HB Architectural Lighting
nu n derstanding the tension behveen public a nd private persona.
abiding to social for m ality while op enly flau nting a reb ellious
defiance to s ocial norm"- says Berg, proved bigge r than any
construction ch a llenge. hd
CJD
edgeofarch i te c t u re .c om; lor d balfo u rmi a mi. com
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